Face The Music
by Underlined Twice
Summary: A short story in three parts about Jono and Paige, aka Chamber and Husk.
1. Chapter 1

**Face The Music** by Underlined Twice

Chapter 1

Jono paused as he passed a door in the mansion. He was going to ask Storm about some homework problems when he heard some sniffling. As he listened, he realized that someone was practically having an emotional breakdown, but he couldn't tell who. He made a note to actually listen to the Professor when he tried to teach Jono how to sense who was around him with his telepathic abilities. Instead, he opened the door and poked his head in. His eyes widened at what he saw, then settled into an expression of seething anger. Paige Guthrie was sitting on the floor an empty classroom sobbing. Her head was down, but Jono doubted she could see him through her tears, even if she were looking straight at him. He wondered whether or not he should try to comfort her. Their relationship hadn't been in a comfortable place since before she went back to Kentucky for a week. They had been avoiding each other more recently, due to Paige's new romantic link with Archangel. How she could stand that pretty boy was beyond Jono's reasoning. However, regardless of his feelings towards the man, Jono could tell that Warren was the reason Paige was crying hysterically.

Jono was about to close the door and walk away when his dreaded sense of honour kicked in, refusing to let him walk away from a friend in need.

_Sure_, he thought bitterly. _A _friendHe walked quietly into the room, and Paige didn't even look up. Jono wasn't sure what to do; he never had to comfort someone else before. He settled for kneeling beside her and patting her shoulder. But, as soon as he touched her, Paige launched herself, sobbing, onto his chest. Jono awkwardly put his arms around her and rubbed her back in what he hoped was a soothing manner.

(It's all right, luv,) he murmured. (Always knew the bloke would turn out to be a bastard.) She seemed to be calming down a bit, so he must have been doing something right. Paige didn't let up on the death grip she had his shirt in, though. She rested her forehead on his shoulder and let out a few more shuddering sobs.

(Want to tell me what he did?) Jono asked softly, willing himself not to march up to Warren this very second and blast his head off.

Paige took a few deep breaths as the last of her tears fell out of her eyes and onto Jono's shirt. "He used his fuckin' business as an excuse," she said angrily and sat up a little, wiping off her face. Her Southern accent seemed to be creeping back up on her. "He said 'Ah need to marry someone who will fit in at the company.' The _bastard_." Jono's figurative heart sank at the mention of marriage. _They must have been pretty serious, then_, he thought sadly. But Paige was on a roll, and kept on ranting. "We hadn't even _talked_ about marriage before!" Jono's spirits lifted again. "Two insults in one, the fuckwit. First he not so subtly calls me a _hick_ who would be an embarrassment to be seen with! Then he insults my intelligence by pretendin' that marriage had _anything_ to do with it at all! If he wanted to break up, he should've just _said _so instead of bein' a goddamned _coward_."

Jono had to fight to remain calm during Paige's angry explanation. Warren always was a coward. Always hiding behind his money or his "Saviour" persona. Now he had hurt one of the sweetest girls in the world.

"An' Ah _defended_ him, too!" Paige was starting to sniffle again. "Jubilee said that he wasn't worth my attention, but Ah defended the bastard!" Tears leaked out of her closed eyes. "Oh, Jono," she said softly. "Ah just feel so _stupid_." That tore at Jono's heart more than anything else. The fire in his chest was beginning to flare up with his anger.

(Paige, luv?) he said. (You'd better move to one side. I'm starting to heat up.) He tried to shift her away from his chest, but she wouldn't budge.

"No," she sniffled. "You're warm." Jono stopped. No one had mentioned his mutation in a positive way before, much less tried to snuggle up to it. He would have liked to hold her like this forever, but he knew that he couldn't hold his anger back.

(I'm sorry, luv, but I can't let you get hurt.) He unwrapped her arms from around his torso and held her hands for a moment. Paige yawned and sniffled. (Let's get you to bed, princess,) Jono said with a smile in his voice. Paige simply nodded. When she made no move to get up on her own, Jono picked her up in his arms and carried her out into the hallway, and then to her room. Closing the door with his foot, he put her down on her bed. As an afterthought, he took off her shoes and pulled the covers up over her sleeping form. Jono stared at her face for a few minutes. Her eyes were puffy and still slightly blotchy, but she looked incredibly peaceful. Jono wondered how anyone could possibly try to hurt her. It was this thought that brought him back to the issue at hand: Warren Worthington. Jono allowed himself one last look at Paige. He mentally gave a soft sigh and lightly caressed one side of her face with his hand. The entire domesticity of the situation made him slightly giddy. Then he walked out the door and planned to cremate one angel.

>>>>>

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	2. Chapter 2

**Face The Music** by Underlined Twice

Chapter 2

Jono Starsmore was a man with one goal: to wreak vengeance on the head of the Archangel.

With seeming indifference, he inquired casually over the whereabouts of Warren. A few people seemed surprised to see him out and about when he didn't have classes. Most of the time he stuck to his room in the basement. However, the telepaths of the group did know where Warren was.

Jono wheeled his motorcycle out of the garage and onto the driveway. Archangel was in a bar a few miles away. Jono had no idea how he was going to get in, as he was only seventeen, but he resolved to get to Warren come hell or high water. He started up his bike and sped down the road, his chest burning with intensity now. He tried to calm his anger by thinking of other things, but everything came back to Paige.

_Why don't I just admit it?_ he thought. _I love the girl._ He was insanely happy for a moment. Then it all came crashing down again. _But she doesn't love me. She said it over and over before she started snogging the face off the bastard._ Jono pushed all thoughts away that didn't have to do with seriously maiming Warren and pulled into an empty space in front of the bar. As he surveyed the area, he noticed only one person checking IDs and several windows open on the upper levels.

Walking around to the back of the building, where there wasn't anyone around, Jono scaled the wall with the aid of a handy trellis. Easily sliding through the open window, he landed on a carpeted floor without a sound. He straightened his wrappings and walked down into the pub. His eyes scanned the top of the crowd and found Warren sitting at the bar. He had an inkling that he shouldn't attack him in front of fifty-odd humans, so he walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

(You and me, mate. Outside. _Now,_) he said menacingly and walked out the front door, Warren following confusedly.

"What's all this about, Jono?" He asked.

Jono shrugged off his coat and started concentrating on controlling himself. Flames were already starting to lick out at the air from minuscule openings in his wrappings.

(Which limb will you miss the least?)

* * *

Paige woke with a feeling of ultimate dread. She knew that something was going to go horribly wrong. She vaulted out of bed and shoved her shoes onto her feet. Flinging her door open, she raced down the stairs into the living room.

"Where's Jono?" she demanded. Most of them shrugged.

"He was asking about Warren's whereabouts a few minutes ago," Jean offered.

"And where is Warren, then?" Paige didn't know what was happening, but she knew that she had to get to Jono _fast_.

"The Elk Hoof Bar," Jean said, puzzled at the entire situation.

Without a single word of thanks, Paige raced into the garage and got the keys to Scott's fastest car. She didn't even bother to close the garage door behind her. She simply pounded down the accelerator and hoped she'd get there in time.

* * *

"_What?_" Warren Worthington was incredibly confused. He had been drowning his sorrows in Piña Coladas when Jono (who was underage and _shouldn't_ have been in a bar) brought him outside like a common miscreant.

(You're going to lose a limb whether you like it or not,) Jono's voice was icy. (I thought I was being polite by letting you choose which one to be rid of.)

Warren eyed the flames spurting out of Jono's chest warily. They were flaring up with a vengeance now and Warren didn't know how good Jono's control was.

A thin laser of psionic energy torched the bottom of his trench coat. Apparently his control was good. Warren took the ruined coat off and laid it to one side. "Now, look, Jono," he said. "Let's not be unreasonable about this—" Another blast was directed at the ground between his feet.

(I'm losing my patience, Worthington. _Decide._ Or I'll do it for you.) Jono removed his shirt and completely unwrapped the scarves from around his mouth and chest, revealing a furnace of psionic energy in all its destructive glory.

"If this is about Paige, I can explain." Warren said, but that was the final straw for Jono. The man was going to try to talk his way through crushing her heart. He struggled for enough control not to blast everything he could see.

(_That's it,_) Jono growled and let a blast out towards his opponent. Archangel took to the air just in time, but didn't move quickly enough to save a few feathers.

Paige Guthrie was driving at a speed that was surely damaging the car when she heard and saw the first blast. _Shit,_ she thought passionately and quickly formed a layer of adamantium skin. She jerked the car to a halt and started ripping off her normal skin. She tossed the pieces of it to the ground as she sprinted towards Warren and Jono.

Jono let another blast go. This one was less orderly. He was losing control. He had to finish this quickly. Warren was flying in random patterns, trying to dodge Jono's attacks. He didn't want to fly away and let the monster loose on the innocents. He had to finish this quickly.

Just as Jono tried once more to destroy the feathered bastard, he heard a frantic cry of "_No!_" from Paige. Using the distraction, Warren dropped to the ground. Jono was taken completely by surprise, and he lost control over his blast. With a mental scream of anguish, the psionic energy exploded from his body, letting loose an onslaught of destruction.

Warren was frozen. Only one thought crossed his mind: _I'm going to die on the ground._ As if time slowed down, he saw the torrent of energy racing towards him. But just as the flames were reaching out to claim his body, a metallic figure rushed in front of him, taking the full force of the blast.

Paige had no idea what she was doing. One minute she was yelling at Jono to stop, the next she was standing in the path of his psionic blast. And she wasn't dead. The discharge didn't reach her face, so she saw Jono's horrified expression. Knowing that even adamantium couldn't hold up for very long under these circumstances, Paige attempted to move forwards.

Jono could not believe what was happening. Paige was here somehow. She was the victim of his blast. It was happening again. He was killing innocent people. With all the energy he could muster, he did the only thing he could think of: curl up and take the force of the blast himself. As he fell to his knees and tried to direct the force of the discharge, Paige was able to move forward. She suddenly realized what he was trying to do and knew that if he succeeded, it would either destroy the rest of his body, or kill him. She let out a cry of despair and flung herself onto him, absorbing the entire thing.

Jono tried to push her off, but she held on tighter. _She'll kill herself!_ he thought frantically and struggled to make the blast stop.

"Stop struggling, Jono," Paige's voice was faint and breathy under the strain. "It's fuelled by your fear."

(I _can't!_) he cried. He could feel her adamantium skin start to melt.

"Jono," Paige struggled to keep her voice as calm as possible. "I love you." He was completely taken by surprise for the second time in five minutes. He was shocked into utter inertia. For those few seconds that his mind couldn't wrap around anything, the psionic blast stopped. Paige shuddered and collapsed on top of him in a dead faint. The extra weight of her knocked Jono back onto the ground, rendering him blissfully unconscious. The air was still. Everything was quiet. And then the sirens sounded.

>>>>>>>>

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	3. Chapter 3

**Face The Music** by Underlined Twice

Chapter 3

Jono woke to a world of pure white. He had been here before, he knew, and sat up quickly with a look of horror in his eyes. He was in a morgue again.

Recalling what had happened, he looked around for Paige. If she were dead, she would be in here. He could hardly bear to think of it. Calling on all the courage he had, he lifted the sheet on the corpse next to him. When he saw the face beneath it, he flung the offending fabric off of Paige's body. Her adamantium skin was trying to come off, but without her to peel it away, it was hanging to her. Something wrenched inside of Jono and made him want to cry. With a heavy heart, he reached up with weak arms and began to remove Paige's husk for her. He gently pulled melted metal from her face and revealed a perfectly unharmed, human skin beneath it.

(I'm so sorry, Paige,) he said with all the grief of the world in his voice. Jono then collapsed onto the floor and buried his face in his hands.

"Go 'way," came a mutter from above him and the shuffling of movement. Jono's head shot up like a bullet and he sprang to his feet.

(_Paige?_) he said, barely believing it to be possible.

She made an indistinguishable noise and opened one eye. "Oh, hello, Jono!" She yawned and opened both eyes, blinking furiously. "I just had the strangest dream ever. You were in it, too." Jono stared. "What?" Paige sat up and looked around. "Oh my. Is this a mo—" she wasn't able to get another word out because Jono gathered her up in a bone-crushing embrace.

(I am so, unbelievably sorry,) he said softly. (I promise you, I will never attempt anything like that again.)

Paige smiled and hugged him back fiercely. She was still a bit groggy, but she always got a little disoriented when she didn't shed a skin that was ready to come off. All that mattered now was Jono.

Keeping her hands on his shoulders, Paige pulled back slightly from the embrace. "I still love you," she said with a slight smile, guessing correctly about his insecurities.

(The feeling's mutual, luv,) he said tenderly and brushed his fingertips through her hair. Paige made a small noise of pleasure at the sensation. Jono mentally laughed. (I had forgotten how much you like that,) he said with a smile in his voice.

She smiled up at him seductively. "There are certain things that _I_ haven't forgotten, you know," she whispered in his ear and brushed her lips against the bit of skin next to it. Jono didn't remember how she had discovered that spot, but he did know that he never wanted her to stop. His body trembled slightly as she placed a more lingering kiss on his temple.

(Bloody hell, I love you, Paige,) Jono said reverently and slowly slid one hand down the curves of her torso. Paige, in turn, grazed her fingertips over the waistband of his trousers. Then, Jono paused.

"What's wrong?" Paige asked with a cheeky grin. "Don't want our first time to be in a morgue?"

Jono was silent and serious. Then, he said, (I just really wish I could kiss you right now.)

"I don't," Paige said remorselessly. Jono's eyes met hers with confusion. "You know that thing you used to do, when you thought I was asleep?" She brought his hand up to caress one side of her face. Jono would have blushed, but he simply nodded instead. "_That_ means more to me than any kiss ever could." Paige wasn't embarrassed to tell him this. It was what she missed most about them being together as a couple, rather than just friends. Jono stared at her for a moment. Then she sensed something from him that she hadn't felt in several years: pure happiness. He was practically beaming.

"Now, where were we?" Paige smiled slowly and began to kiss his naked shoulder. Jono slid one hand through her hair and the other crept up the bottom of her shirt. Just then, a horrified shriek came from behind them. They sprang apart and stared at the doorway. There was a traumatized coroner, with one hand on her heart.

Paige blushed slightly and bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Sorry, ma'am," she said. "We hate to tell you this, but we're not dead." That earned another strangled cry out of the poor woman.

"Doctor Bennett!" Came a voice from behind the coroner. "What's happening?" Another doctor, followed by several people came into the room. He then saw Paige and Jono. "Oh, I say!"

"Hello, Paige, Jono," said a familiar voice as the Professor was wheeled into the room by Scott.

(Oh, bloody hell,) Jono said.

"No kidding," Paige agreed weakly.

Jono turned to face Paige, then caressed her face like before. (Let's go face the music, luv.)

**THE END**

Note: This is just a raging plot bunny that forced its way out at three in the morning. It doesn't mean I've stopped writing _Base Noir_. Reviews would be greatly appreciated, though. Subtle hint, you know.


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